Egg tray and cover therefor



Dec. 22, 1964 M. w. SWAIM ,3

EGG TRAY AND COVER THEREFOR Filed March 15, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec.22, 1964 M. w. SWAIM EGG TRAY AND COVER THEREFOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledMarch 15, 1962 Dec. 22, 1964 M. w. SWAIM 3,162,352

EGG TRAY AND COVER THEREFOR Filed March 15, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 UnitedStates Patent Ofifice 3,162,352 Patented Dec. 22, 1964 3,162,352 EGGTRAY AN COVER THEREFOR Marvin W. Swaim, Alton, Ill., assignor to AltonBox Board Company, Alton, III., a corporation of Illinois Filed Mar. 15,1962, Ser. No. 179,955 2 Claims. (Cl. 229-51) The object of the presentinvention is to provide a retail egg package which may employ a cutsection of a molded pulp wholesale egg tray, although in one form of theinvention individual molded pulp trays may be employed. In both casesthere is a great saving in cost. When the tray is a cut section of awholesale egg tray, very important savings in time and cost areaccomplished by use of the invention. The tray, in filled condition, isassociated with a cover member of unique formation because of its formand particular adaptation for the molded pulp tray section, whether thelatter is for one dozen eggs or for three dozen, two dozen, one andone-half dozen.

In explanation of the above, eggs are customarily packed for wholesaledistribution in boxes. These boxes hold layers of inexpensive moldedpulp trays, each tray holding a plurality of dozen eggs, and upwards ofthree dozen eggs can be held in the pockets of the single wholesaletray. For retail distribution, it has been customary for such a box tobe open and the stack trays successively emptied from their eggs, forplacing in retail packages and distribution in that form of packaging,the packages generally holding one dozen eggs. The molded pulp wholesaleegg trays are very inexpensive and in many cases are discarded as waste.By means of the present invention such wholesale molded pulp egg traysmay not only be used, in the form of cut sections thereof for theprimary element of a two piece retail package, but the egg filled traysmay be taken from the wholesale box, cut into sections with the eggsstill therein, and the filled sections automatically fed to a stationwhere, by reason of special form of the second package member, thelatter may be automatically applied to the tray section and bondedthereto, this being effected in rapid succession, and by dividing thewholesale pulp trays, holding eggs in their pockets, by means of suchapparatus as subject of the Schwertfeger Patent No. 2,826,024.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a closed retail egg package adapted toenclose one dozen eggs in two rows.

FIG. 2 is an end view.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary diagrammatic view looking down toward the top ofthe egg tray section.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary corner view of the structure shown inFIG. 1 showing the manner of tearing away the top wall from either ofthe two sealing lips to free the tuck-in holding lip of the top wall.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view showing the top wall moved upwardly aftertearing the sealing lips.

FIG. 6 is an isometric view showing the top wall of the package swungopen.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the molded pulp tray section. At theright hand end thereof, the position of webs extending longitudinallybetween the outermost posts is indicated by dotted and hatched lines,because certain cut sections of a molded pulp wholesale tray will havesuch outer post connecting webs only at one side thereof.

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the blank cover member as cut and scored.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary top plan view showing the scored margins of thelongitudinal cut turned back and adhered as flanges to have mutualedge-to-edge latching abutment in the completely folded cover.

FIG. 10 is aview similar to the preceding figure with the flanged areaof the cover folded to bring the flanges into abutment.

Referring to the drawings the invention is exemplified by a package forcontaining one dozen eggs. As shown in FIG. 7 the primary element of thepackage is a molded pulp tray which may be considered as a section cutfrom a wholesale pulp egg tray as shown in FIG. 2 of the saidSchwertfeger patent, the ends of the pulp section shown in the drawingsbeing cut from a wholesale pulp tray, for example, in which the ends areraised in accordance with this invention. The tray is generallyindicated at 1. It is formed with egg receiving pockets as shown at 2 intwo rows, each of six pockets, the pockets being separated by posts 3connected by longitudinal webs 4, and the pockets are laterally boundedby half posts 5, because the cutting of the retail tray in the mannershown in FIG. 4 of the drawings in said Patent 2,826,024 shows suchsection of the outermost posts. The half posts at at least one side ofthe pulp tray are connected longitudinally by webs 6. In FIG. 6 suchwebs are at both sides of the pulp tray. In FIG. 7 the said outermostwebs 6 are shown only by dotted lines and hatching at the opposite-sidesince they may be omitted.

As previously stated, the pulp end-walls of the tra are extendedupwardly as indicated at 7 in the drawings. Inasmuch as normally theeggs extend upwardly somewhat above the posts 5, the end extensions riseabove the posts. At their top edges each extension is thickened orotherwise formed to provide a narrow lip or abutment 7*, for a purposesubsequently described.

In addition to the use of longitudinal webs 4 and 6, the posts areconnected, in the present embodiment, by transverse webs 8. While Iprefer that the tray be constructed by the pocket, post and connectingweb, arrangement, illustrated in the drawings, the pockets andseparation arrangement may be widely varied within the spirit of theclaims annexed to this specification.

The aforesaid pulp tray has specialcooperation with a very simplecovering sheath, which, in the embodiment shown, is composed of a singlesheet of cardboard with one fold line at 10 inwardly bounding a sidewall 11, and a second fold line at 18 for a tuck-in lip 12*, the topwall 12 lying between the two folds, and a second side wall area 14 isprovided.

Reference to FIG. 8 will show the blank for the cover member. Below thetuck-in lip 12 the blank is formed with a longitudinal cut at 20 at eachend of which is a transverse cut at 21. At one side of the longitudinalcut 21 a line of scoring at 22 enables forward folding of the lowermargin of lip 12 and its bonding by adhesive, to provide a latchingflange shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 at 23. Likewise below cut 2%) and betweentransverse cuts 21 a score line at 24 enables rearward folding of themarginal area at said score line, and its bonding by adhesive to therear of the cover to provide a latch receiving flange 25.

At each outer side of the transverse cuts a fold-web 12 is provided andthe two fold Webs are bellows folded relatively to wall 14 in the mannershown at the left of FIG. 4 and in FIG. 10. Each fold web 12 is formedwith a perforated tear line at 17.

In assembling the cover sheet to the pulp tray, adhesive applyingrollers against which the tray is fed will apply adhesive to theside-exposed edges of the tray at the posts and also on longitudinal andoutermost webs 6, FIG. 6, when they appear at one or both sides of thetray. Adhesive is applied to the fold-in margins at the opposite sidesof the longitudinal cut 21 or to the cardboard area which receives themas latching flange members. The margins are folded into position asshown in FIG. 9 and adhered to provide the flanges 23 and 25.v Webs 12?re- 3 ceive adhesive and are folded in the manner shown in The. sidewalls-.1 1; and 14 are then adhered to the. sides .oithel egg ,tray. 7

Care will be taken to restrict the adhesive so as to lie below thelatching flange 23 of the tuck-in lip 12*, but each web 12 willbegluedonto the eggtray.

Whenifthe closed cover, is to. be opened, .the userv will 1 t'sidewall,a longitudinal'cut intermediate the-ends of'said pull the top wall freefrom the websrll by tearing, it

along, the. tear. line 17. The tuck-in lip maythen be pressed inwardlyto carry flange 23' back of the overlying flangeZS, and the "coverpulled upwardly to theposition v drawn-from the tray the cover mayberestored fo'initial position and-latched as shown in' FIG. 4. Thethickened area onfiange 7 at the top of each-tray'and extensionpreferably does not receive'adhesive. i

' It will be understood that variousmodifi'cations may be made theelements constituting the embodimentv of the-invention,illustrated inthedrawings, ingjfromithe spirit ofthe' invention siret'o secure byLettersPatent, is as'followsz' 14A cover; member blank adapted forfolding into cover formfor an egg holding tray, comprisinga unitaryflexible'mernb'er having a first longitudinal score. line for definingthe juncture between a first side wall and a top wall, a second'longitudinaliscoreline defining the juncture between a second sidewallassembly and the top wall; two transverse cuts inwardly of the secondside'wall as sembly and providing" a Web at each end of said secondwithout depart- 1 1 20 Having. described" myrinvention, what'I; claimand deb transverse" cuts and extending thereto, opposed marginal areasof the second sidewall at said longitudinal out being folded back eachin a direction reversely to the other, and

V a tear line extending across;each web area adjacent the top wall.

V 2. A cover member adapted for an egg-holding tray, consistingof"a-unitary flexible member folded longitudinally' to provide a 'top.wall, a first side Wall, and a second side. wall; assembly, said secondside wall assembly comprising an u'pper'tuck-in lip hinged/to the topwall and having its freem-argin foldedas a -flange, a second side wallmember-having its, upper margin folded as a flange and tabs connectingsaid second wall-member at its ends o; the stop wallifs'aid-tabs'beingseparately folded too-hringgthe members of-zsaid second'g sidewall' intomutu alyfac'e abutment andwith the'freeedgesofsaid flanges substantiallyin, abutment. 7

References' Gited'in the file of this 55mm. UNITED STATES. PATENTS,

1 1,910,409 Schwartzbergf. May 23, 1933. 1,990,145 Swift Feb. 5,. 1935$082,564 Benoit June 1:, 1937 231251042 Bergst'ein'.. ,e July" 26, 1938-2,35'5;665- Mabee Aug. 15, 1944 2,702,64'8 Fisher Feb. 22, 1955

1. A COVER MEMBER BLANK ADAPTED FOR FOLDING INTO A COVER FORM FOR ANEGG-HOLDING TRAY, COMPRISING A UNITARY FLEXIBLE MEMBER HAVING A FIRSTLONGITUDINAL SCORE LINE FOR DEFINING THE JUNCTURE BETWEEN A FIRST SIDEWALL AND A TOP WALL, A SECOND LONGITUDINAL SCORE LINE DEFINING THEJUNCTURE BETWEEN A SECOND SIDE WALL ASSEMBLY AND THE TOP WALL, TWOTRANSVERSE CUTS INWARDLY OF THE SECOND SIDE WALL ASSEMBLY AND PROVIDINGA WEB AT EACH END OF SAID SECOND SIDE WALL, A LONGITUDINAL CUTINTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF SAID TRANSVERSE CUTS AND EXTENDING THERETO,OPPOSED MARGINAL